1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to frames for supporting and displaying photo, printed pictures or any other sheet having decorative or informative data, and more particularly to a free-standing frame formed of a pair of superposed flexible plastic panels between which the sheet to be displayed is sandwiched.
2. Status of Prior Art
The usual way to frame a photograph, a printed picture or any other sheet to be displayed, is to provide a frame whose branches are formed of metal, wood or other material, the sheet being placed within the frame adjacent a transparent front pane of glass or acrylic plastic. The frame is provided with a back cover secured thereto to enclose the sheet within the frame.
When the sheet dimensions are smaller than those of the frame, a mat is provided to border the sheet and maintain it at a proper position for display within the frame. A typical frame is not free standing, and should one wish to put the frame in an upright position on a table or other horizontal surface, one must provide an easel or stand for this purpose.
And in order to suspend the frame from a wall, a string must be attached to the frame bridging the side branches thereof. A typical frame, particularly one having a glass pane, cannot be safely packed in a suitcase, or shipped or sent in the mail.
The Mukai et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,947 discloses a picture frame having a transparent plastic face plate with bent edges which resiliently engage corresponding bent edges of a plastic rear plate, a picture being mounted on the rear of the face plate. A string attached to the back plate makes it possible to suspend this frame from a wall. And to stand the frame on a desk, an easel is hinged to its back plate.
To provide a three-dimensional viewing effect for a picture, the Knox U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,762 sandwiches the picture between a pair of flexible panels which are flexed so that the edges thereof fit into grooves formed in the long sides of a rectangular frame, the picture then being curved to provide the desired three dimensional viewing effect.
The Halpern U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,283 shows a picture display device for displaying photos or other graphic material constructed of two pieces of semi-rigid flexible transparent plastic that are pre-folded to form a free-standing device having a three-sided triangular shape, the photo being sandwiched between the pieces. In the Heimo U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,535 pictures are sandwiched between front and rear plastic panels which have a corrugated curvature, the front panel being transparent.